Mood Disorders

Correcting Mood Disorders at Medigenics Longevity Center

Medigenics Longevity Center is dedicated to treating mood disorders - a serious type of ailment that creates a distorted emotional state, as well as potentially impacts a person’s physical health. Contact us to learn more and to see if we can help you.

You've heard about mental health before, and how serious it is. Poor mental health, in the form of mood disorders, now affects more than 400 million people world-wide. And in addition to affecting a person's mental status, these disorders have been found to affect physical health as well. As a result, mood disorder patients are more likely to die of "natural causes" - a misleading term when those causes are triggered by the mood disorder.

Needless to say, this is a complicated health issue. We want to help you navigate it. Medigenics Longevity Center offers mood disorder medical services meant to help people avoid the mental and physical side effects of their illness. Through mood disorder treatment, we can work to help protect your health for a long time to come. To find out if you may benefit from such care, contact us to schedule a visit with Dr. Ashok Shetty, a board-certified physician specializing in Internal Medicine.

FAQs on Mood Disorder Care at Medigenics Longevity Center:

Why Do You Classify Mood Disorder Care As Anti-Aging Medicine?

Research has found that the majority of deaths among people with psychiatric disorders are caused by chronic physical medical conditions that are usually associated with aging. These include cardiovascular, respiratory, and infectious diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. Because of this link, we believe that treating mood disorders offers patients both mental and aging-related health benefits.

What Defines A Mood Disorder?

A mood disorder is a mental health term used to describe depression and bipolar disorders. Children, teens, and adults can all have mood disorders. In addition to creating a distorted emotional state, mood disorders are associated with an increased risk of aging-related diseases, which greatly contribute to the excess morbidity and mortality observed in affected individuals. Therapy, antidepressants, and specialized support can help treat mood disorders.

Are Depression And Bipolar Disorder Very Different?

Yes. Depression is distinctly marked by a long period (i.e. two weeks or more) where an affected individual experiences depressed mood most of the day nearly every day, and/or a loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities.

While bipolar disorders can include these depressive symptoms, they're also marked by mood swings that fluctuate between depressive lows and manic highs. (A manic episode is described as a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting at least one week.)

What Causes Mood Disorders?

The medical community is now learning through research that many factors contribute to mood disorders. The primary cause tends to be an imbalance of brain chemicals. Life events (such as stressful life changes) may also contribute to a depressed mood. And genetics play a role as well, highlighted by certain mental illnesses running in families.

Does A Mood Disorder Do More Than Affect Mood?

Yes. Clinical and molecular research is now finding that mood disorders may be associated with a permanent state of low-grade inflammation in the body. Mood disorders also share a connection with the shortening of a structure known as telomeres.

Telomeres are distinctive structures found at the ends of our chromosomes, composed of repeating DNA sequences. Telomeres play an important role in organizing the chromosomes within our cells; protecting the chromosomes, and allowing the chromosome to be replicated properly during cell division.

Intriguingly, research has found that inflammation and telomere shortening share a connection. In other words, inflammation may contribute to telomere shortening; and telomere attrition may induce low-grade inflammation.

While the implications of these connections aren’t 100% understood (yet!), these changes do confirm that mood disorder patients are likely to experience altered inflammatory–immune responses, as well as premature aging (and therefore, an increased risk of experiencing age-related ailments) due to telomere dysfunction.

How Are Mood Disorders Treated?

Treatment of a mood disorder must always be highly personalized. Options to consider in a treatment plan may include:

How Do You Diagnose A Mood Disorder And Its Effects?

Mood disorders are diagnosed through both physical examinations and mental health evaluations. Evaluating their effects on the body, however, requires additional testing. When you visit Medigenics Longevity Center, we will use specific tests to evaluate these effects:

Telomere Measurement - Telomere measurement tests measure an individual's telomere length in comparison to their age, allowing doctors to determine if a change in lifestyle is needed to combat aging and support good health. Understanding your telomere health is an important part of addressing a mood disorder.

Genetic Analysis - A genetic analysis is the study of a sample of DNA to look for mutations (changes) that may increase one’s risk of a particular disease or affect the way a person responds to a certain treatment. These tests are important in addressing mood disorders and the physical ailments associated with them.

You can expect the testing process to proceed in the following manner:

We will perform any baseline testing to assess your current nutritional status and health.

We will send out for the test results, which will be processed off-site.

We will review your results and then proceed to develop an individualized plan meant to address your health needs.

Licensed to Practice in Pennsylvania & California.

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